Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
#Bills at #Rams: 5 things to watch for during Week 1’s game:
The Buffalo Bills begin another regular season journey. The Bills visit the Los Angeles Rams to kickoff the NFL’s 2022 slate.
Once the battle arrives, there will be a few particular things to keep in mind.
Here are five things to watch for during Thursday’s Bills-Rams matchup:
#Bills’ Matt Barkley: Team was focused on game vs. #Panthers:
The Buffalo Bills saw their preseason win streak broken Friday night by the Carolina Panthers, with a final score of 0-21.
As these games are used to assess talent and players in different game action scenarios to evaluate which players to keep or cut to trim down the roster, they do not impact the team’s regular season record.
But that does not mean the game does not matter to those playing it.
“We’re focused on winning a football game and that was our goal tonight,” Bills backup QB Matt Barkley said while addressing the media after the game.
When asked what it’s like going into a preseason game situation with players trying to perform and make cuts with off-the-field issues surrounding the team looming, Barkley spoke to the need to still focus during gameplay on the field.
The team was in the headlines prior to kickoff, as allegations surfaced involving rookie punter Matt Araiza.
As such, the team was tasked with still being able to navigate the gravity of such a situation to still commit attention to the game they need to play.
“I think it just comes down to compartmentalizing and focusing on winning the game like I said that was our mindset and that’s where guys had to be,” the QB shared. “I mean it wasn’t good losing a game like that, scoring no points, so wasn’t the best mood.”
When asked whether he’s talked to Araiza yet, the QB said he’d not, but may soon.
“Probably, but we’ll see when that happens.”
When asked about the allegations, Barkley made it clear
“I’d rather not discuss my reaction or talk about it, I mean again I know it’s a work in progress and there’s a lot to work through,” he responded. “I’d rather leave it at that”
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#Bills’ Matt Barkely on punt: ‘It is not something I’ve ever practiced’
With only hours’ notice, Matt Barkley did something he had never done before in Friday’s contest against the Carolina Panthers.
He booted a 53-yard punt, much to the surprise of fans and media alike.
Matt Barkley just pinned a punt inside the 10 yard line… not something I ever expected to write.
— Bradley Gelber (@BradleyGelber) August 27, 2022
After the game, Barkley was asked if he knew he’d be asked to punt or whether that’s something he had ever practiced.
“It is not something I’ve ever practiced, and I knew right before the game” that he’d be asked to punt, Barkley said. “They came to me and asked.”
The backup QB punted four times for 160 yards in the 21-0 loss to the Panthers. As a passer, he went 9/13 for 100 yards and no TDs.
Despite the loss, Barkley did manage to crack a smile and a joke when asked about the 53-yard boot.
“Yeah, it’s a career best, so I’ll take that,” he said.
“I think I hit that so bad that it ended up being good. Rolled, bitcoin bounced,” the cryptocurrency enthusiast quipped.
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#Bills QB Josh Allen jokes that Ken Dorsey is better off in the coaches’ box calling plays:
The Buffalo Bills named Ken Dorsey their new offensive coordinator some months ago. It was long anticipated that Dorsey would be the next man up to replace Brian Daboll, who was hired as the New York Giants head coach, and that happened in February.
Once an OC settles into his job, questions soon follow:
Where will his game day office be? On the sideline with the players? Or up in the coaches’ box so he can get a full view of the field to help with play calling?
Dorsey said last week that there are pros and cons to both. Through two weeks of the preseason, it appears that Dorsey will be upstairs.
Pulling the curtain back a bit, Dorsey noted how he can’t pull that off by himself. He needs eyes on the sideline to help him out.
“I really felt like there was a great job between the coaches back and forth and telling me what they saw and the communication between me and Sean,” Dorsey said. “In terms of those different situations that come up, whether it’s a fourth-down situation or a two-minute situation, it was incredibly smooth.”
Like Dorsey, Bills quarterback Josh Allen also has behind-the-scenes insight. He thinks upstairs is the right place for Dorsey but not for a reason one would expect.
Allen said Dorsey, who previously was Buffalo’s QB coach, is an animated person on the sideline during games. Because of that, Allen said, Dorsey could avoid some negative attention from the NFL.
“He’s doing a really good job,” Allen said via video conference. “Coach (Sean) McDermott said there was quite a hefty fine for any flags from the refs for the coaching staff, so I think that also entices Dorsey to go up in the box. He gets fiery, man.”
For more from Allen on Dorsey’s debut as a play caller, see the WIVB-TV clip below:
Josh Allen on Ken Dorsey: "When OCs are up in the box I think they see things a little bit better. Coach McDermott said there is quite a hefty fine for any flags from the refs from the coaching staff so I think that also entices Dorsey to go up in the box. He gets fiery, man." 🤣 pic.twitter.com/F6A6vSJTvZ
— Heather Prusak (@haprusak) August 22, 2022
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#Bills’ Case Keenum took ‘professional approach’ before bounce-back effort:
Bills backup QB Case Keenum had a rough outing to start the year, committing three turnovers during Buffalo’s preseason Week 1 win over the Indianapolis Colts.
After Keenum focused all week since then on ball security, he looked to bounce back in the team’s second matchup against the Denver Broncos this past weekend.
He had the chance to do just that when he entered Saturday’s contest, taking the field with just under three minutes to play in the first quarter after Josh Allen completed a successful scoring drive in limited action.
Keenum would go 16 for 18 with 192 yards and a TD pass in the Bills 42-15 victory.
After the game head coach Sean McDermott was asked if it was nice to see Keenum bounce back from his struggles in the previous game.
“Yeah it was, and I mean really when he came in the day after the game last week you could just tell,” McDermott said during his postgame press conference. “And again, it wasn’t an overreaction, but it was a professional’s approach and not that it wasn’t before, but you could just tell he was dialed in on what he wanted to get done this week.”
Though he had only four snaps with the first team offense Keenum made it count, connecting right away with Gabriel Davis on the first play of his drive for 19 yards before connecting with his old Minnesota Vikings target Stefon Diggs for another deep 26-yard toss.
Though Diggs day concluded after his big catch from Keenum, Davis continued to play sharing the field a bit more with the team’s QB2.
“I know me and Diggs were excited,” Davis said while speaking to the media regarding playing time with Keenum.
“I know Case was excited as well to get out there with him. We don’t get as many reps with Case. So to be able to go out there and see how ready and prepared he was, it was a lot of fun.”
The deep threat receiver, who’s developed a good connection with starter Josh Allen, threw his support and vote of confidence behind Keenum as well.
“And I know whenever 18’s out there, we can trust them and I’m glad he’s on our side of the ball.”
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#Bills WR Gabe Davis breaks down scoring play against #Broncos:
The Bills put on an offensive display over the weekend, racking up a high-scoring 42-15 win against the Denver Broncos
It included a big scoring catch by WR Gabe Davis on an extended play and a rocket throw from QB Josh Allen.
The toss kicked off an effort that saw the team’s offense score touchdowns on each of their first six offensive drives on their way to a victory that now brings their preseason winning streak to 10 games.
The play looked like it might fall apart or that Allen might go in another direction initially, before hitting Davis with a dart reminiscent of the connection the two demonstrated in last season’s playoff matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Allen could be heard in the background playfully affirming Davis when the WR was asked during the post-game press conference about the trust involved between him and his quarterback, saying “I run fast, I catch ball, touchdown”, causing the WR to grin and chuckle as he answered the question.
“Yeah as soon as I saw the safety down I was like oh this might be a touchdown, hopefully, 17 sees the same thing,” Davis shared with the media alongside Allen. “He did, but when I was running and I saw him spin I thought he was going to go the opposite way, but luckily he stayed back in and came my way and I just kept running and knew I was gonna get the ball and there’s gonna be a touchdown.”
His QB broke down the play and his read on the coverage, echoing the read on the defensive backs.
“You know we just had like a little high low concept and they pushed the safety to the three-man side leaving Gabe one-on-one,” Allen said. “Didn’t get to it right away, again the ball’s got to go to there or Diggs right now early and it didn’t get to Diggs early. So I just kind of put my head down and did a little 360 and wasn’t really meaning to do that but I knew I didn’t want to run so I was just trying to find some space and get the ball off, and again he does such a good job at continuing the play and running when maybe some of these DBs are looking back in their zone coverage and allowing him to get some separation.”
Davis has officially taken over the WR2 role behind top receiver Stefon Diggs following in the footsteps of veteran receivers who played in that role during his development such as John Brown and Emmanuel Sanders.
His breakout performance in the postseason against Kansas City and the electrifying connection he and Allen demonstrated during that game may have been only the beginning for the duo.
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#Bills vs. #Broncos: 8 things to watch for in preseason Week 2:
Here are eight things to watch for during the Buffalo Bills’ second preseason game of 2022 against the Denver Broncos:
#Bills’ Ken Dorsey: We saw the ‘old’ Zack Moss vs. #Colts:
In his first season with the Buffalo Bills after being selected in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Utah, he found himself a contributor in late-game situations thanks to the emergence of Josh Allen’s passing game.
Often running out the clock in the later quarters behind a strong lead on the scoreboard, Moss was consistent in his role and kept the offensive drives moving.
In his second season, however, he did not see the same consistency.
Moss struggled throughout the year, in part due to a lingering ankle injury from the 2020 postseason and the surgery that followed.
With fellow RBs Devin Singletary, Duke Johnson, James Cook, and Tawain Jones in the mix at his position group, the 24-year-old returns to action following a dedicated offseason looking to re-establish himself in a role with the offense.
In Saturday’s preseason contest on Saturday, he began to do just that against the Colts, going for 37 yards on three carries including a 27-yard run.
Zack Moss gets the #Bills offense going early 🏃♂️pic.twitter.com/zzVEwFYh6h
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) August 13, 2022
“I think you kind of saw a little bit of the old Zack in terms of, one, the physicality,” Bills OC Ken Dorsey said while speaking to the media this week. “Like the first play of the game, he’s hitting that thing downhill, lowering his shoulder, getting tough yards (five) on a physical run. And then he comes back later in the game and he cuts one back and bounces out there, makes a guy miss, and extends a run that maybe he might not be able to do last year. It’s exciting to see kind of the health factor coming back.”
The improvement in his health has shown thus far in his first appearance back on the field. And his play also impressed his head coach as well.
“He’s just in good shape, he’s focused – his focus is where it needs to be, it appears,” Sean McDermott said during his postgame press session. “I was impressed by his production and the small amount of carries, of course, but what he did when he got the ball in his hands was impressive, both in the run and the pass game which is nice to see. So, I think he’s off to a good start and again, I just think it goes back to the way he worked in the offseason.”
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‘I love Buffalo–this place is awesome,’ #Bills QB Case Keenum said. He then assured that’s true but praising the blue cheese:
It only took a few short weeks, but Case Keenum is converted.
He’s officially a fan of the way the Bills run things and life in Buffalo.
A quarterback that has jumped around the NFL suiting up for six other teams already, Keenum admitted he’s been around the block. In doing so, you get hands-on experience with a lot of different scenarios so Keenum wasn’t too worried about backing up Josh Allen.
Still, the 34-year-old has already come away very impressed with the way the Bills run things this offseason. He sees the chemistry between those around him, including Allen, offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey and even Matt Barkley.
“I’m kind of playing catch up,” Keenum admitted via vide conference. “I think (Dorsey & Allen) is as good as a relationship and communication–seeing the field the same way, knowing the play callers intent–with those two guys, it’s as good as I’ve ever been around. It’s impressive.”
It sounds like things are fitting in good so far. That’ll be music to Sean McDermott’s ears.
The Bills coach said earlier this offseason that the team targeted Keenum but they felt like he would be a fit for the QB room–Both on and off the field.
“It’s got to work together and fit together like a puzzle because of the importance of that position and how that relates to winning football games,” McDermott said in July. “It’s an interesting dynamic.”
But the connection is being felt for Keenum in the QB room and out in western New York.
That, or Keenum already knows all the right chords to strike. He mentioned loving how passionate Bills Mafia is…
… and how good the blue cheese tastes.
“I love Buffalo–this place is awesome, are you kidding me?” Keenum said. “It’s unlike anything I’ve been around. Just like the offense, I’m fully in on Buffalo as well. We love it. We love being there in Orchard Park, I’m full on the blue cheese train as well. I’m all about it.”
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Morse’s experience is going the distance for the #Bills:
The Buffalo Bills offensive line has been a turnstile of bad news during 2022 training camp.
Injuries and absences have piled up. The good news is that players such as Rodger Saffold (ribs) have returned to the lineup.
It’s been a long time coming.
Despite that, throughout all of the tumultuous times, the unit has still had the same consistent piece in place that has been there going on three-straight years. Center Mitch Morse.
Morse has only missed two games in his Bills career. The eight-year vet has the understanding that injuries can pile up during the summer, but there’s still no reason to fret.
There’s plenty of time to work things out and that’s the tranquil mood he’s put his team in.
“It’s the epitome of training camp, guys shuffling around, injuries or personal matters take people away from the game or their position,” Morse said via video conference.
“You don’t want to see guys get hurt, but it’s the unfortunate reality of this business,” Morse added. “It’s really a ‘next man up (situation)’ and right now we have some time for guys to heal and guys to step in and show what they can do.”
Morse’s experience under such duress has been noticed in the Bills locker room. Offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey has taken note.
“I think anytime you’ve got great experience in the middle it’s going to help,” Dorsey said at camp. “That calming influence that he brings I think is extremely helpful.”
Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen referenced Morse’s demeanor as something he’s accustomed to… but still always welcomes.
“That guy is in business mode,” Allen said via video conference. “I haven’t seen anything like him in a while in terms of just knowing the offense and controlling that room.”
By the time the Bills kickoff their campaign against the Los Angeles Rams, Buffalo will want their full starting offensive line in place. That’s not a slight against Morse, he just can’t block everyone himself.
But the Bills sure do sounds grateful to have Morse on their side in tough times like this.
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